CarWow tests E-Ray (with Ollie Gavin)

Chevrolet

Chevrolet

CCCUK Member
I sent that Brink of Speed video to Chris this morning who owns the 1st UK spec E-Ray that he purchased from GM. These are his comments:

"1) The GM marketing is in fact accurate. GM Europe C8 E-Ray is advertised at 2.9sec for 0-60. GM US is also correct advertising correctly at 2.5secs as also proven by multiple vids with draggy etc.
2) There are two major reasons for the car being a bit slower i.e. no mention about GPFs being part of the exhaust and the fact ECUs in Europe are programmed to map the car to be slightly slower. Thank you EU regs. Anyway nothing an aftermarket map can’t fix but that’s another matter!"

So for CarWow to do a video entitled "Why Corvette is Lying" is slightly "friggin" scandelous as far as I am concerned?
 
teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
Here is another one with a E-Ray and a Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid that costs about $80,000 more and around 400 pounds lighter
I find most of these so-called compares are always biased, against the common Chevy having the balls to compete with non-American nameplates

 
Arheos

Arheos

CCCUK Member
Cheers Peter,

Actually just to address a few more points from the above comments and my thoughts after owning a C8 Stingray for 3 years and the E-Ray now for about 3 months🤪

- Regarding the electric noise, there are two things here.

1) You can drive the E-Ray in electric only mode aka Stealth mode for approx. 8 miles using the front EV motor should you want to. Nice party trick 😝. It will stop being 'EV only' when you activate the V8 if you are out of juice or hit above 40mph. The external noise is activated only when driving it as an electric and it has the familiar 'whooshing' sort of sound EVs have. I like to use this mode when I want to leave the house quietly and errr upset some other neighbours when the V8 kicks in further away🤭

2) The internal electronic sort of 'spaceship' noise isn't as loud as in this video. The video mics pick it up differently vs RL & make it indeed louder. Of course it is noticeable when driving and personally I find it works very well with the V8 sounds. However, very CRUCIALLY that particular sound only activates when you put your foot ALL the way down and keep it down. So if you apply 80/90% throttle or gradually get it to around that, it doesn't come up. So basically for every day driving or even when you are playing with the car to push it here and there without going near 100% throttle, it won't activate. No need for cutters, it is very much like a Stingray in every day situations in terms of sound. Performance? well that's another story!


- Width / wide body concerns.

Coming from Stingray, I feel it was already wide so I guess I am used to the E-Ray being a bit wider, the difference is noticeable. There are cameras all around the car (like the Stingray) that can be displayed on the screen with a press of a button. It helps me manoeuvre it between bollards, tough parking spots, etc just fine.


- GPFs, ECU, V8 exhaust note, etc.

To re-iterate, the added GPFs and the ECU slightly reduced performance thanks to EU regulations is something all UK C8s have of any variant. Some relatively simple solutions to getting the E-Ray to reach US level performance, or better whilst sounding much much better? Sure, keeping it N/A whilst upgrading the exhaust, headers, cats, etc is an option alongside other benefits via opening the ECU............... 😜

In terms of other videos that I think are more representative regarding its capabilities, here are some better ones than CarWoW in my view:

How fast is the Corvette E-Ray? Versus Ferrari F8 & Lamborghini Huracan Evo: Jason Cammisa Drag Race:​

First Drive: Corvette E-Ray, In-Depth with Chief Engineer​

How to test your C8 eRay 0-60mph | Uncovering the Truth​

 
Roscobbc

Roscobbc

Moderator
Astonishing mid-range acceleration.
Dig deeper in to the E Rays performance some interesting facts jump out!
Many people make a big thing about horsepower figures.......but its really engine torque figures that are perhaps a better yardstick in terms of easily attainable and consistant power. The E Ray has spectacular torque figures that operate over a far wider rpm band than most gas powered engines (exepting perhaps turbo/blown/nitrous engines) and is like comparing an old hi-po small block Vette against a big block powered equivalent.......and then some.
So the E Ray's quoted maximum (combined engine/electric) horsepower is 655hp. Maximum (combined) torque is 595 ft/lbs and achieved at 5150 rpm
Engine itself maxes-out with 465 ft/lbs torque at 5150 rpm. Electric motor adds 125 to 160 hp and 125 ft/lbs torque = 590 ft/lbs
Engine itself at part throttle has 415/425 ft/lbs torque at 3500 rpm. Electric motor adds 125 to 160 hp and 125 ft/lbs torque = 540/550 ft/lbs
Engine itself at part throttle has 330/340 ft/lbs torque at 2500 rpm. Electric motor adds 125 to 160 hp and 125 ft/lbs torque = 455/465 ft/lbs
Fact - electric motor adds 125/160 hp and 125 ft/lbs torque at all operating rpm's. That 'constant' added to the engine torque really fills a huge performance 'hole' and coupled with its four wheel drive output and class leading traction is responsible for that astonishing mid quarter mile performance. Yes, the other cars ultimately catch-up......but who cares the E Ray has done its job.
 
Invetterate

Invetterate

CCCUK Member
teamzr1 said:
Here is another one with a E-Ray and a Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid that costs about $80,000 more and around 400 pounds lighter
I find most of these so-called compares are always biased, against the common Chevy having the balls to compete with non-American nameplates

Click to expand...
I agree, JR. They should have specifically mentioned the price difference, I think.

I wrote a piece recently about the E-Ray that Paragon Performance upgraded with new high-end inlet and exhaust and then put on a Lingenfelter supercharger package complete with forged pistons and revised valvetrain. That made 734hp & 792lbs-ft at the wheels. That cost around $35,000 but that is still over $50k less than the Porker which would have been annihilated in this or any other performance test.

Mark
 
teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
Invetterate said:
I agree, JR. They should have specifically mentioned the price difference, I think.

I wrote a piece recently about the E-Ray that Paragon Performance upgraded with new high-end inlet and exhaust and then put on a Lingenfelter supercharger package complete with forged pistons and revised valvetrain. That made 734hp & 792lbs-ft at the wheels. That cost around $35,000 but that is still over $50k less than the Porker which would have been annihilated in this or any other performance test.

Mark
Click to expand...

These videos where the person who made them is profiting from the video has a unlying reason to be biased
That wow wow or whatever the hell he calls himself I find has a reason as his bias towards EVs made in China and also
pro Porsche and I saw that in the beginning of his so called E-Ray video he degraded the E-Ray design
I doubt he even selected track mode and let the car drive better than he could

The outcome would have been different if instead Ollie Gavin was driving, rather standing there for no good reason other
than to suck people into clicking on that video

In the end, these videos are not real world as those owning the car and only use on public roads
where they are lucky, ever seeing over 70 MPH
 
teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
Chevrolet said:
Chris above refers to the GPF(s) on his E-Ray. I was wondering if that is the same thing as the OPF(s)? Seems it is, as well as PPF(s)?
GPF/OPF/PPF - What is it and how does it affect tuning your car?
Click to expand...

Europe playing the fighters of the bad global warming were not happy with exhaust systems for decades using CATs to help cleanup exhaust output and modified what a CAT does by adding an internal filter after the CAT
That produces more back pressure, which reduces exhaust flow, increases exhaust temps and end result is less HP and Tq output

Not sure what that URL above states "tuning" if they meant tuning of exhaust sound but the C8's are encrypted and security locked
the controllers, like the PCM thus cannot be custom tuned

Unless some schmuck is wiling to pay a greedy aHole vendor at a cost of C8 owner yanking the PCM shipping to that vendor,
who hacks the electronics of the PCM to bypass the security
Costs $2,500
Now they need someone to tune that PCM for the mods done,
Now think of changing the CAM, adding boost,etc where the stock GM calibration in PCM would not work with those mods
and you did the above and that PCM goes bad the owner is up shft creek without a paddle as with the bad hacked PCM bad
putting a new stock one in yet the mods are still installed, so engine cannot run until the owner does it all again paying the greedy Ahhole for a new PCM and the weeks when car cannot be driven

In the end just the PCM going bad and replaced your now into about $5,000 plus to get car running again
 
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Arheos

Arheos

CCCUK Member
Chevrolet said:
Chris above refers to the GPF(s) on his E-Ray. I was wondering if that is the same thing as the OPF(s)? Seems it is, as well as PPF(s)?
GPF/OPF/PPF - What is it and how does it affect tuning your car?
Click to expand...
My understanding is Gas Particular Filters = Otto Particular Filter = Petrol Particular Filter. Just that I think different EU countries use one of the three (or potentially more) names, but it the same thing. It traps soot particles, improve air quality, make Greta happy, etc :p

Here is a couple of diagrams showing how more open the stock US version is vs EU:
 

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Arheos

Arheos

CCCUK Member
Roscobbc said:
Looking forward to meeting-up a little later this evening and perhaps discussing further Arheos
Rgds,Ross
Click to expand...
Haha great, me too! Call me Chris, not sure on the handle selection I had there, thought it wouldn't show my name as well. Never mind.:LOL:
 
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